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To ALI. WEoM IT Mar coNcERM;

Be itlknown that I, HENRY DUNPHY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Cloth-Plaiting Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, whichwill enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the` accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements on a machine for folding shirt-bosoms,plaits, tucks, &c., for.

which Letters Patent were grantedto me on the 27th dayof May,`1862. I

The object of this invention 'is to improve the machine v-described.in theaforesaidv Letters Patent so as to perfect Ait in its construction and operation. Inthe annexed drawingsmy invention is illustrated- Figure 1, sheet 1, being a plan or top view, partly in lsection, ofthe same. Figure 2, sheet 1, is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on the plane x, iig. 1. Figure 3, sheet 2, is a vertical crosslsecti'on of the same, taken on the plane y y, iig. 2. Figure 4, sheet 2, is a vertical crosssection of the same, taken on the line z e, iig. 2..

, Figures.5, 6, and 7, are sectional views of strips of cloth folded in thismachine, and vwill be hereinafter referred to.

.Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. A is a bed-plate, made of wood or any other suitable material, vof suicient strength to support all the other parts'of this machine. The. holder B is a wooden or other wedge-shaped bar, which is firmly 'secured to the' bed-plate. At each end of the bar'B are arranged Ytwo upright cheeks, a c, between which the folders are held.

The blades C and intermediate pieces Zv are made andl operate as described in the aforesaid Letters Patent.

They are adjusted in accordance with the required folds, and are then at once fastened in Athe-required position by inserting them in a sheetmetal or other frame, c, and securing them by a screw, d, as shown in figs. 2 and 3. Each of the two sets of folders thus made is now placed between the cheeks a a, at the end of the bar B,

and secured there by means of one or more clamps, e, and set-screwsas shown in igs. 1, 2, and 3. The

benefit of this arrangement is that the folders may thus be set as desired, a certain quantity of material folded, and the folders then removed, and a new set for plaiting in a different style inserted in their place. The arrangement of the old folders is not destroyed, as they are held the screw d in the frame c, andthey may be used again when required; while in my old machinethe folders were completely deranged as soon as they were removed from the-'holder B. 'lhe clamps e are made solas to press the cheeks a well against the folders. They 4are then vheld in place by means of thumb-screwsf. The -ironer D is vhinged to a stationary block, E, so as to fold upwards instead of sideways, as in my aforesaid patent. A great saving of place is thus gained. Either the ironer or theblock E', or'both, may be made hollow, or otherwise-so arranged that steam or hot air may be passed through the samefbr heating purposes. It will be seenthat the ironer (that is, the ironcr and the block E together,) and the holder B incline in opposite directions. The arrangement of the folders, though,

places the cloth in an linclined position,.with which that ,of the ironer coincides,l the latter being consequently made on an incline for the purpose of acc'ommodatingitself to the position of the cloth. The ironer is held down upon the block by means of a slotted'sliding plate, g, which is-secured to theblock `by a screw, t, as show n in tig. 1. The cloth, after vhaving passed through the folders and ironer, is brought between a pair of rollers, F F, the lower one being mounted in suitable bearings', which are arranged in uprights G, the latter" being secured to the plate A.l The upper roller F is secured in sliding bearings z' c', and is pressed down upon the lower roller by springs k, the pressure being regulated by. screws l Z, as shown. A ring, m, of leather or other suitable material is laidand. fastened around each of the rollers F F. The length of these rings coincides with the width of the plaits, and is not longer than the same, tov prevent the feedingof the clothin the wrong direction. The pressure of the' upper roller is mainlybrought upon those parts ot. the cloth which have bee overlapped, thus completely smoothing those parts, and preparing them for the sewing machine. 4

The whole machine is set in motion by turning a crank or pulley, to, on the lower roller F. The cloth is then wound upon a drum or roller or reel,l of any suitable construction. Before passing it through the folders the cloth is brought over and around a detaining and stretching apparatus, which consists of a roller, n, taper ing'towards vthe ends, and mountedin a frame, o, and of a board, p, which is also secured in the framero, as is 'faros 2 shown more particularly in iig. 2. The cloth is brought from a roller or drum under the board p, around its 'rounded front edge and'back, and over the roller n, as seen. Then it is brought through the folders. The frame o is dove-tailed into two blocks, 9', in which it slides laterally. The blocks 1' slide forward and backward in` grooves, s, arranged within the bed A, or in rails placed thereon. l

4 The object of this apparatus is to keep the cloth well stretched, and, by means of the tapering ends ofthe roller n, alsoiwell spread. By means of the lateral adjustment the cloth can `always be brought into the proper directions, the adjustment being required by the variable position and arrangement of the folders. By this machine thousands of yards of cloth may be folded for different purposes, the last end of each web being glued or otherwise secured 4to the first end ofrthc next-web. The whole strips of cloth thus folded may be .passed through a sewing machine, thereby overcoming thedidiculty bf stopping the machine for each separate piece or even web. All kinds and styles of folds 'can be made in this machine. The laps may be apart from each other, as in fig. 5, orytheymay touch each other, as i'n iig. 6, or may overlap yand cover each other, as in iig. 7.

Having thusV described my invention, I claim asl new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The arrangement for .holding the folders in the machine, consisting of the clamps e, in combination with the cheeksa a of the holders B, the whole constructed and operating substantially as described and specified.

'2. The rollers F F,provided with narrow rings of leather, rubber, or other similar material, in combination with the folding apparatus, substantially as described and specified.

3. The hinged ironer D, in combination-with the folding apparatus, substantially as described and specified.

4. The laterally and back-andforward adjusting, retaining, and stretching apparatus, consisting vof the roller n, bar p, and traversing blocks o and r r, in 'combination with this folding apparatus, substantially as described and specified.

5. The roller fn, tapering towards both ends for spread ng and stretching the cloth, in combination with the laterally and back-and-forward adjusting mechanism and the folding apparatus, substantially as described and specied.

' HENRY DUNPHY.

Witnesses:

WM. ,F. MCNAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

